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As of this morning, Email-to-SMS users will have noticed some obvious changes in the way that Email-to-SMS Broadcasts are handled and we'd like to list them here:

The first change is that the delivery reports of ALL Email-to-SMS Broadcasts are being sent back to the email addresses from which they were sent. Previously this was an optional feature, but it has now become a standard.

The second change is that the subject line can now be used to match our broadcast confirmations and delivery reports with your original Email-to-SMS Broadcasts.

Up until now, the subject line was used to provide the TM4B Username and the Email-to-SMS Password. However, with this new development, Email-to-SMS users can now insert the Email-to-SMS Password within the message body and use the subject line to hold something meaningful that can keep our responses in relevant context.

So, if "Mrs Jackson Appointment Reminder" was used as the subject of an Email-to-SMS Broadcast, you can expect our confirmation to look like "Re: Mrs Jackson Appointment Reminder [ACCEPTED]" and a delivery report to look like "Re: Mrs Jackson Appointment Reminder [DELIVRD]".

Email-to-SMS users who wish to make use of this feature no longer need to include the TM4B Username within their broadcasts as only the Email-to-SMS Password is required.

The third change is that, in those cases when an Email-to-SMS Broadcast is rejected, we will provide a full list of reasons for the failure. Previously, one error was sufficient to trigger an error message and prevent the remainder of the Email-to-SMS Broadcast from being processed. However, in those cases when more than one error has existed, you would have been required to fix the first error to find the next and so on. This is no longer the case as all errors will be reported simultaneously.

The fourth change is that we will not be sending error messages in response to those Email-to-SMS Broadcasts in which none of the required values can be found. This is because the "email2sms" address has found its way on the list of email spammers and our mail servers are wasting their resources sending error messages in response to junk mail. Due to the ease with which an Email-to-SMS Broadcast can be made, it is highly unlikely that a real Email-to-SMS User would ever send a message that did not contain any of the required values and we feel that this is a good way to handle those junk emails which get through our spam filters.

The fifth change is that the 'msg' parameter has been renamed 'message' for the sake of verbosity as Email-to-SMS Broadcasts are made by humans and not machines.

The last change is that all of the emails which we send you in response to Email-to-SMS Broadcast have been re-written to be more 'human' and ensure maximum clarity.

All of these changes are geared towards making Email-to-SMS the easiest way for desk staff to send and receive SMS with mobile users and, through your feedback, we look forward to making more improvements in this respect.

Although new screenshots have been uploaded and the "how to" has been changed, the old ways of using "msg" and providing credentials in the subject line can continue for the foreseeable future.